Wrist watch



H. BATT WRIST WATCH June l, 1954 Filed March 4, 1949 Ivan/ink H090 Ba 77'' BY wry/1M Patented June 1, 1954 UNITED STATES FATENT OFFICE Claims priority, application Switzerland March 8, 1948 Claims.

This invention relates to wrist watches.

It is the object of the invention to provide a wrist watch comprising a lens which is adapted to be used as a magnifier for various purposes without necessitating the wearer of the wrist watch to remove the watch from his wrist.

There are many people, for instance jewellers, philatelists, instrument makers, botanists, zoologists, collectors, and also persons afflicted with far-sightedness due to age, who want for many purposes and in many instances a magnifier which, hitherto, was to be carried somewhere in a pocket and might be easily lost. This disadvantage will be eliminated by the present invention.

It is a feature of the invention that the magnifier set in a frame is pivotally mounted on the top face of the watch case so as to cover in one position the dial or the watch glass in order to protect the latter against shock and to improve the sight of the dial and to be turnable into another position forming substantially an angle with respect to the position.

This and other features of the invention will more fully appear from the following detailed description of three specific embodiments thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. l is a side view of the wrist watch with the magnifier partly in section, the dotted lines showing the magnifier in one of the applied positions.

Fig. 2 is a top view of the wrist watch shown in Fig. 1.

Figs. 3 and 4 are top views of wrist watches showing modifications in mounting the magnifier to the watch case.

Fig. 5 illustrates the use of the magnifier with the wrist watch carried on the wrist of the user.

Referring more particularly to the drawing wherein similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views, I designates the watch case having on both sides a pair of spaced lateral ears 2 in which is mounted a pin 3. The strap 4 may be fastened to the pins 3 in known manner, for instance as illustrated in the drawing, so that the watch case I may be pivoted about the axis of pin 3 with respect to the strap 4 for proper seating about the wrist of a wearer. The dial 5 and hands 6 of the watch are covered by a glass 1 secured in the top face of the watch case I.

A magnifying lens 8 is set in an annular holding frame 9 which includes an arm I0 extending between the ears 2 of one pair and being turn- 2 ably or swingably mounted on pin 3 whereby a middle portion of the strap end fastened to this pin is cut out as shown in Fig. 2. The pivotal axis of the magnifying lens 8 therefore coincides with that of the watch case, i. e. the axis of pin 3. The frame 9 is provided opposite to the arm it with a nose II having an inwardly projecting closing edge I2 which in turn engages a projection at I3 (Fig. 1) formed in the outer cylindrical surface of watch case I to thereby obtain interengageable means for locking the magnifier in inoperative position on case I wherein frame 9 smoothly contacts the upper bevelled surface It of watch case I and does not substantially impair the sight upon the dial 5.

In order to use the magnifier the frame 9 with the lens 8 may be swung into a position extending in a plane substantially at right angles to the plane in which the frame is located in inoperative position. For this purpose frame 9 must be unlocked from watch case I by disengaging snap edge I2 from the recess I3 by means of displacement of the nose II relatively to said recess I3 for instance by actuation of a finger nail of operators hand.

The modifications shown in Figs. 3 and 4 concern the hinge or turnable mounting on pin 3 of frame 9 which in both instances has formed thereon two arms 20 or 30, respectively, the arms 29 extending inside of the pair of ears 2 adjacent to the same, whereby corresponding lateral portions of the armlet end fastened to the pin 3 are cut out as shown in Fig. 3. The arms 38 extend outside of the pair of ears 2 adjacent to the same and are turnably mounted on the ends of pin 3 projecting beyond the ears 2, so that the ordinary armlet 4 can be fastened to pin 3 in the whole width between the two ears 2.

Fig. 5 illustrates the manner in using the magnifier when the wrist watch is in the ordinary position fastened on the wrist of the user. The magnifier device may thus be used for reading small printing or stamping in silverware, or of telephone directories, railway time tables (for which the wrist watch also plays an important role), or maps. Preferably, the magnifying lens is plano-convex, or concave-convex as shown in Fig. 1, whereby the plane or concave side of the lens faces the watch glass in locked or inoperative position. The watch glass is not indispensable in so far as the watch case must not be hermetical.

Accordingly there has been described a watch structure comprising a watch case having a dial and constructed for pivotal movement about an axis with respect to a support, a magnifying lens for said watch case and adapted to be placed on the top surface of the latter so as to cover said dial without substantially impairing the sight upon the same in one position of said lens, interengageable means on said lens and on said watch case for connecting said lens to said watch case, and hinge means swingably securing said lens to said watch case for movement about an axis of revolution common to the pivotal axis of said watch case, said lens upon disconnection of said interengageable means being usable for magnifying purposes upon swinging movement of said lens about said hinge means and away from the top surface of said watch case to another position while the dial of said watch case is exposed for reading.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

1. A watch structure comprising a watch case having a dial and constructed for pivotal movement about an axis With respect to a support, a magnifying lens for said watch case and adapted to be placed on the top surface of the latter so as to cover said dial without substantially impairing the sight upon the same in one position of said lens, interengageable means on said lens and on said watch case for connecting said lens to said watch case, and hinge means swingably securing said lens to said watch case for movement about an axis of revolution common to the pivotal axis of said watch case, said lens upon disconnection of said interengageable means being usable for magnifying purposes upon swinging movement of said lens about said hinge means and away from the top surface of said watch case to another position while the dial of said watch case is exposed for reading.

2. A watch structure comprising a watch case enclosing a dial and constructed for pivotal movement about an axis with respect to a support, a watch glass covering said dial and fixed to the top face of said watch case, a magnifying lens having a frame and swingably placed over 4 the top face of said watch case so as to extend substantially over the entire watch glass to thereby protect the latter from shock, and interengageable means on said frame on said watch case for connecting said frame to said watch case, and hinge means including a pivot pin for swingably securing said magnifying lens to said watch case for movement about an axis of revolution common to the pivotal axis of said watch case, said frame upon disconnection of said interengageable means being mounted for swinging movement about said pivot pin away from the top face of said Watch case while the dial of the latter is exposed for reading.

3. A watch structure according to claim 2, wherein said hinge means include ears provided at opposite ends of said watch case and arm means provided on said lens frame, said arm means and said ears being constructed to receive said pivot pin.

4. A watch structure according to claim 2, wherein said hinge means include two arms provided on said watch case and pivotally mountec on said pivot pin, said hinge means further including two spaced ears provided on said lens frame, said spaced ears being also supported by said pivot pin and being positioned between said arms.

5. A watch structure according to claim 2, wherein said hinge means include one arm provided on said lens frame and supported by said pivot pin, said hinge means further including two spaced ears provided on said watch case and engaging said pivot pin, whereby said arm and said ears are respectively connected through said pivot pin.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 877,313 Faehrmann Jan. 21, 1908 1,025,057 Hampson Aprv 30, 1912 1,519,266 Roebling Dec. 16, 1924 1,584,519 Dritz May 11, 1926 2,235,095 Barthman Mar. 18, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 15,388 Great Britain of 1889 33,468 Switzerland July 6, 1905 272,758 Great Britain June 23, 1927 

